The Texas state Senate has passed a new elections bill after state Democrats fled the state weeks ago in an attempt to block the legislation. However, the state Senate still didn’t pass the bill without protest as one state Democrat filibustered for 15 hours in a futile attempt to withhold a vote on the bill. The Texas upper House passed the bill 18-11.

Newsmax reports:

Democrat Carol Alvarado began speaking shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday even though she acknowledged that the filibuster would not block the legislation. She was required to remain standing and speaking, was prohibited from taking bathroom breaks and wore running shoes on the Senate floor, just as former Texas legislator Wendy Davis did in 2013 when she filibustered a sweeping anti-abortion bill.

She hugged her Democrat colleagues after finally putting down the microphone. Minutes later, the bill passed 18-11 in the Senate, although the measure is now once again stalled since Democrats continue to stay away from the state House of Representatives in a standoff that has now entered a 32nd day.

But after sergeants-at-arms finished making the rounds inside the Texas Capitol — dropping off copies of the warrants at Democrats’ offices, and politely asking staff to tell their bosses to return — there were few signs the stalemate that began when Democrats fled to Washington, D.C., in July in order to grind the statehouse to a halt was any closer to a resolution.

The latest escalation threw the Texas Legislature into uncommon territory with neither side showing any certainty over what comes next, or how far Republicans could take their determination to secure a quorum of 100 present lawmakers — a threshold they were just four members shy of reaching.

More than 30 Texas Democrats have remained in Washington, D.C. for more than a month.